A Reflection on Physics

Ages ago, the scholars of the world believed in perfectionism – that the earth was flat, parallel to heaven and hell, and situated in the centre of the universe. People and objects were governed by a “Great-chain of being” that sorted everything to a place and a hierarchical status. In a similar way, the intellects at the various institutions of the older ages came to be comfortable with a classical theory of physics. These scientists thought they had mastered the understanding of the universe and believed that through mathematics, like Isaac Newton’s, everything could be predicted and explained. This was true except for some tiny trivial irritating issues. But from these insignificant errors in classical theory rose new ideas and scientists who just wondered why some pieces didn’t fit. As a result, a “crack” in classical theory led way to a revolution in science by relativistic and quantum understanding and eventually technology (that we use every day). However, this movement also proved a forgotten fact: that in science or life, things are never completely predictable and what could be the slightest insignificant accident could result in one of the greatest discoveries ever. Therefore, we as people must never be satisfied with “that’s good enough” or better yet, we as students must never be satisfied with “that grade is high enough.” It is true that we can only do our best, but if you do your best then your grade is not merely “good enough” but “your best.” Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle states we cannot know both a particle’s position and momentum at the same time. But that just shows our wonderful universe and how perfectly imperfect it is, perplexing enough that we cannot predict it, but amazing to figure even a piece of it out. Uncertainty and unpredictability will not stop scientists from trying to discover the most remote, farfetched, possibilities out there no matter how unlikely. So, neither should it stop us from pursuing our path with our best effort as all we really need is to take a crack at it.